Dr. Lindsay Robinson
Associate Professor
Email: lrobinso@uoguelph.ca
Office: ANNU 336B
Ext: 52297
Lab: ANNU 305
Ext: 56967
Profile | Education | Research | Publications | Teaching | Grad Students | Links |
Profile
I can link my current research interests in nutrition and metabolism to two key events that occurred during my fourth year of undergraduate studies at Acadia University. The first was taking an elective introductory nutrition course and the second was my laboratory-based honours biology research project. These actions revealed my love for both nutritional sciences and research. Combining these interests led me to the University of Alberta where I did my Ph.D. focused on nutrition, immunology, and cancer. Following this, I came to the University of Guelph where I held an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship to study carbohydrate metabolism in insulin resistant states, such as obesity and diabetes. It was this work that led to my current research program focused on understanding the roles and regulation of cytokines secreted from adipose tissue (‘adipokines’) in obesity-related chronic diseases. I’m particularly interested in diet and exercise regulation of adipokines and their roles in communication among key metabolic tissues in health and chronic diseases.
My laboratory is currently funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) as well as an infrastructure grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.
Education
B.Sc. - Acadia University
Ph.D. - University of Alberta
Research
The general focus of my research program is the integration of diet and exercise in mediating metabolic processes in health and chronic disease.
I am interested in understanding the physiological roles and regulation of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle-derived cytokines in mediating metabolic processes in the body. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms by which dietary factors and/or exercise modulate various cytokines and inflammatory mediators implicated in insulin resistance, a key characteristic of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.
Current research projects:
Regulation of adipose tissue-derived cytokines in integrative metabolism
Effect of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in the presence of LPS on adipocyte secretory factors and underlying mechanisms.
Effect of dietary fatty acids on pro-inflammatory markers in an in vitro murine adipocyte macrophage co-culture model
Selected Publications
Robinson LE and Mazurak VC. N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Relationship to Inflammation in Healthy Adults and Adults Exhibiting Features of Metabolic Syndrome. Lipids (in press).
Tishinsky JM, Robinson LE, Dyck DJ. Insulin sensitizing effects of adiponectin. Invited review for Biochimie Special Issue. 2012 Jan 31. [Epub ahead of print].
Tishinsky JM, Gulli R, Mullen K, Dyck DJ, Robinson, LE. Fish oil prevents high saturated fat diet-induced impairments in adiponectin and insulin response in rodent skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2012 Mar;302(5):R598-605. Epub 2011 Dec 28.
Beaudoin MS, Robinson LE, Graham TE. An oral lipid challenge and acute intake of caffeinated coffee additively decrease glucose tolerance in healthy men. Journal of Nutrition 141(4):574-81, 2011.
Ooi TC, Robinson L, Graham T, Kolovou GD, Mikhailidis DP, Lairon D. Proposing a "lipemic index" as a nutritional and research tool. Curr Vasc Pharmacol. 9(3):313-7, 2011.
Matheson KM, Cutting JE, Mazurak VC, Robinson LE, Buchholz AC. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increase thermic effect of food in men with metabolic syndrome. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. 2011;72(4):201-4. doi: 10.3148/72.4.2011.201.
Tishinsky JM, Ma DWL, Robinson LE. Eicosapentaenoic acid and rosiglitazone increase adiponectin in an additive and PPARgamma-dependent manner in human adipocytes. Obesity Sep 2 [Epub ahead of print].
Oster R, Tishinsky J, Yuan Z, Robinson LE. Docosahexaenoic acid up-regulates adiponectin and PPAR-gamma in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism 35(6): 783-9, 2010.
Mullen K, Tishinsky JM , Robinson LE, Dyck DJ. Skeletal muscle inflammation is not responsible for the rapid impairment in adiponectin response with high fat feeding in rats. Am J Physiol – Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 299: R500-8, 2010.
Montegaard CF, Tulk HMF , Lauritzen L, Tholstrup T, Robinson LE. Acute ingestion of long-chain (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids decreases fibrinolysis in men with metabolic syndrome.J Nutr 140: 38-43, 2010.
Teaching
NUTR*4210 Nutrition, Exercise and Energy Metabolism
HHNS*6700 Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism
Grad Students
M. Cranmer-Byng (MSc student)
A. DeBoer (PhD student)
D. Kishi (MSc student)